Early Signs Of Pregnancy

Due to modern scientific advances, some women are getting pregnant via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other methods of assisted reproduction technologies (ART). However, one of the most well known complications of these treatments is multiple births, especially if it has been induced via IVF treatment. The reason for this is that multiple embryos are transferred into the woman who wishes to have the treatment. As a result, more than one embryo may be fertilized, which therefore leads to multiple births. It is also possible for the embryos to actually split inside of the womb after it has been transferred. There have been many cases that have made newspaper headlines worldwide about women who have had IVF treatment and had twins or an unusual amount of babies.

As you can imagine, having more than one baby can cause for the mother to have rapid weight gain. However, this can sometimes be caused by what the mother chooses to eat. Mothers who are having multiple births usually gain 10 pounds more than mothers who are only having one baby. If you suspect that you are having twins because of increased weight gain, then you should consider what your weight was during pregnancy. Weight gain also depends on the mother's body type and height.

During the pregnancy, your attending midwife or doctor will measure the uterine fundus to indicate gestational age. If a woman is having multiple babies, then the uterus will be more than normal.

The most common complaint by pregnant women with multiple births are that they are increasingly fatigued. This means that during the first trimester, they experience exhaustion, lethargy, and sleepiness as the baby is working hard to nuture multiple babies.

Your Gynaecologist may decide to monitor the Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HcG) levels. These levels detected in urine or bloog samples 10 days after the baby has been conceived before peaking during the 10th week of pregnancy. Women who are giving birth to twins or more will have samples that create an elevated HcG level than women who are giving birth to just one baby.

During the later part of the first trimester, a Doppler system that uses sound waves will amplify the sounds of the fetus' heart. The result may be tricky, as the second heartbeat could actually be the mother's heartbeat or just a background noise, however an experienced Midwife or Gynaecologist will be able to clearly detect whether there is an additional heartbeat.

One may have a hunch that they are giving birth to multiples due to exaggerated pregnancy symptoms and their own intuition. If you are having a hunch you are having more than one baby, you should consult your Doctor.

Another reason is because of genetics. If a blood relative has had twins (or more), than it is possible that another person in the family will also give birth to multiple babies. An example of this is a Nigerian ethnic group called the Yoruba. The Yoruba have the highest rate of twins in the entire world.

This may seem rather bizarre, but Scientists believe they know the reason why the Yoruba have more twins than any other ethnic group in the world. They believe it is because they are eating white yams. These white yams contain a hormone called phytoestrogen, which they believe stimulates the ovaries so multiple eggs are released.

A sign that you may be having twins is that early fetal movement and frequent movements are experienced.

Pregnant mothers are tested via a blood sample for alphafetoprotein(AFP) screening. This is conducted during the 2nd trimester to identify any high risks of birth defects. Mothers who are giving birth to multiples have a positive and very high AFP result.

During an ultrasound, they will be able to find out whether someone is having one or more babies by counting the number of fetuses present in the ultrasound. This is truly the final and undisputable sign that a woman is having multiple babies.